Robin Lim , an American woman who has helped thousands of poor Indonesian women have a healthy pregnancy and birth , was named the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year on Sunday night .

Through her Bumi Sehat health clinics , `` Mother Robin , '' or `` Ibu Robin '' as she is called by the locals , offers free prenatal care , birthing services and medical aid in Indonesia , where many families can not afford care .

`` Every baby 's first breath on Earth could be one of peace and love . Every mother should be healthy and strong . Every birth could be safe and loving . But our world is not there yet , '' Lim said during `` CNN Heroes : An All-Star Tribute , '' which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and recognized Lim and the other top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 .

Many women in the developing world do not have access to contraception or maternal care . According to the United Nations Population Fund , three out of five women giving birth in South Asia do so without a skilled birth attendant on hand .

In Indonesia , the average family earns the equivalent of $ 8 a day , according to the International Monetary Fund . But a baby delivery costs about $ 70 at a hospital , and a Caesarian section can cost as much as $ 700 .

Lim believes Indonesia 's high maternal and infant mortality rates are caused in part by these costs , which many women can not meet .

`` The situation is bad ... babies are unattended , deliveries have become commercialized , and mothers die from hemorrhage after childbirth because they ca n't afford proper care , '' Lim told CNN earlier this year .

The CNN Hero of the Year was chosen by the public after an 11-week vote on CNN.com . For being named Hero of the Year , Lim will receive $ 250,000 for her cause . That 's in addition to the $ 50,000 that she and the rest of the top 10 Heroes each received for making the top 10 .

This is the fifth year that CNN , with the help of entertainers and other celebrities , have honored everyday people changing the world . Among this year 's presenters were comedians Jerry Seinfeld and George Lopez ; actors J.R. Martinez and Chris Colfer ; musical artists Ice Cube and will.i.am ; model Christy Turlington Burns ; former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner ; and actresses Laura Dern , Mary-Louise Parker and Sofia Vergara . -LRB- Photos : Scenes from the night -RRB-

Kid Rock performed the song `` Care '' from his platinum-selling album `` Born Free , '' while Miley Cyrus sang her triple-platinum hit `` The Climb . ''

Turlington Burns introduced Lim 's video tribute during Sunday 's show , before the Hero of the Year announcement . As founder of Every Mother Counts , she is also a passionate advocate for maternal health around the world .

`` Eight years ago , after giving birth to my first child , Grace , I felt what could have been a life-threatening complication , '' she told the audience of nearly 5,000 . `` It suddenly got very scary , very fast . If I had n't received the expert care in the hospital birthing center I was in , then I may have not been so fortunate .

`` My wish is that every mother all over the world has the same chance surviving childbirth I had . My friend Robin Lim shares that wish and she spends her days and nights making it so . ''

Photos : See how Lim helps thousands of women

Turlington Burns recently made the trip to Indonesia to meet Lim and see her work firsthand .

Lim became a midwife after her sister -- and her sister 's baby -- died from complications during pregnancy several years ago . She and her husband then sold their home in Hawaii and moved to Bali to `` reinvent their lives , '' she said .

`` It was there she learned she could make a difference , '' Turlington Burns said . `` She opened a clinic , Bumi Sehat , so poor mothers can give birth safely and be treated with dignity and respect . She has delivered thousands of babies , and that is why they call her ` Ibu ' -- Mother . ''

After being announced as the CNN Hero of the Year , a tearful Lim accepted the award from host Anderson Cooper and made an impassioned plea for help .

`` Today on our Earth , 981 mothers in the prime of their life will die -- and tomorrow again and yesterday , '' she said . `` And I 'm asking you to help change that . We do n't even know how many babies are lost , but all of us can help change that . ''

Here are the other top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 , in alphabetical order :

Eddie CanalesEddie Canales ' son was paralyzed during a high school football game in 2001 . Today , Canales ' nonprofit , Gridiron Heroes , provides emotional and financial support to high school football players who 've sustained life-changing spinal cord injuries .

Taryn Davis Taryn Davis was just 21 when her husband , an Army corporal , was killed in Iraq . In 2007 , she created the American Widow Project . To date , her nonprofit has provided a community of support to more than 900 young military widows .

Sal Dimiceli Sal Dimiceli has spent decades helping people get back on their feet . Through a local newspaper column and his nonprofit , The Time Is Now To Help , Dimiceli assists about 500 people a year with food , rent , utilities and other necessities .

Derreck Kayongo Derreck Kayongo 's Global Soap Project collects partially used hotel soap and reprocesses it to save lives . Since 2009 , the Atlanta-based nonprofit has provided about 150,000 bars of soap for communities in 10 countries .

Diane Latiker Surrounded by gang violence in her Chicago neighborhood , Diane Latiker opened her home to area youth and started a community program called Kids Off the Block . Since 2003 , her program has helped more than 1,500 young people .

Patrice Millet After being stricken with cancer , Patrice Millet dedicated his life to helping children in his native Haiti . His nonprofit youth soccer program provides free equipment , coaching and food to hundreds of participants from the slums and teaches them to become responsible citizens .

Bruno Serato Since 2005 , chef Bruno Serato has been serving free pasta dinners to children , many of whom are poor and live in motels with their families . Today , Serato provides dinner seven days a week to more than 300 children at the Boys & Girls Club in Anaheim , California .

Richard St. DenisSince 2008 , Richard St. Denis and his organization , World Access Project , have provided hundreds of wheelchairs and mobility aids to people living with disabilities in rural Mexico .

Amy Stokes Amy Stokes is redefining `` family '' for South African children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty . Her organization , Infinite Family , has connected almost 500 teenage `` Net Buddies '' with nearly 300 volunteer mentors from all over the world via the Internet .

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Robin Lim was named the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year on Sunday night

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She has helped thousands of poor Indonesian women have a healthy pregnancy and birth

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The annual show honors the Top 10 CNN Heroes and names one of them Hero of the Year